Semi-Analytical Planetary Landing Guidance with Constraint Equations Using Model Predictive Control

Abstract

With the deepening of planetary exploration, rapid decision making and descent trajectory planning capabilities are needed to cope with uncertain environmental disturbances and possible faults during planetary landings. In this article, a novel decoupling method is adopted, and the analytical three-dimensional constraint equations are derived and solved, ensuring real-time guidance computation. The three-dimensional motion modes and thrust profiles are analyzed and determined based on Pontryagin’s minimum principle, and a supporting semi-analytical reachability judgment method is presented, which can also be used to determine controllability. The algorithm is embedded in the model predictive control (MPC) framework, and several techniques are adopted to enhance stability and robustness, including thrust averaging, thrust correction after ignition, thrust reservation, and open-loop terminal guidance. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can guarantee real-time trajectory generation and meanwhile maintain considerable optimality. In addition, the MPC simulation shows that the algorithm can maintain a good accuracy under external disturbances.